John f



(No Model.)

J. F. WILMOT.

CURTAIN DESK.

Patented Feb. 6, 1894.

ITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. WILMOT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE A. H. ANDREWS & l

- COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CURTAIN-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,108, dated February 6, 1894. Application filed March 6,1893- Serial No. 464,841. (No model.)

To all whom itJl l/Lty concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. WILMOT, a

resident of Chicago, in the countyof Cook closed, shall be low and not likely to obstruct light from falling on the table or desk, while at the same time a large number of pigeon holes may be placed at the back of the desk above the table, if desired.

In the drawings referred to as forming a part of this specification, Figure l, is a perspective view of a desk embodying my in vention with the curtain thereof shut and the desk thereby closed; Fig. 2, a perspective of the desk with the curtain open and the desk ready for use; Fig. 3, a cross-sectional view of the desk with the curtain closed; Fig.4, a View showing one end of a part of the curtains on an enlarged scale, andFig. 5, a crosssectional view of a desk embodying my invention with a modified construction of a part thereof.

The same reference letter is employed to indicate a given part Where more than one view thereof is illustrated in the drawings.

A, is a desk; at, a, the drawers of the desk; B, the table of the desk; C, the casing ofthe series of pigeon holes, drawers and receptacles ordinarily, and in a desk embodying my invention, placed back of and above table B, as illustrated in the drawings; D, a curtain, covering table B when the desk is closed, and E, is a curtain covering, when the desk is closed, the front of the casing C, and the, series of drawers, pigeon holes and other receptacles contained in such casing.

d, d, d, are the slats of curtain D.

d, d, (Fig. 4,) are the parts of the respective slats (1, cl, d, which extend into the groove of curtain D.

(Z is the canvas of the curtain D;

e, e, e, are the slats on curtain E.

e, is the portion of slat e, which extends into the guiding groove of curtain E. e is the canvas of the curtain E.

F, is a slat or bar common to curtain D and curtain E.

f, f, are fasteners extending through the canvas (1 c of the respective curtains D, E, thereby securing such curtains to slat or bar F.

f, is the part or portion of bar F, extending into the groove whereby the movement of such bar is guided and controlled.

G, is the groove in which the ends (1', d of curtains D extend,) but I do not limit myself to constructing bar F with end f, adapted to extend into the groove G, as end f (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4,) adapted to extend into groove H, can be substituted for end f, if preferred.

In the modification of my invention, (illustrated in Fig. 5,) the grooves in which the ends 01', and e, of the respective curtains D, E, extend, are lettered G, and H, respectively. Groove H, does not extend back of drawers a, a, but over and then back of the drawers and pigeon holes in the casing C. In this modification, the curtain E is raised from in front of the drawers and pigeon holes in the casing C, and as so raised it extends back ward in the grooves in the upper part of the casing and downward in grooves H, back of the pigeon holes or other receptacles in the casing. I, is a rod extending from curtain E, to and through bar F, of curtain D. Two rods I, I, are employed, one at each end of the curtain E, and on each of the rods I, are placed head I, and adjustable nut 1 Head 1, and

nut 1 are placed a suitable distance apart to correspond with the difference inextent of movement desired of the respective curtains D, and E.

In Fig. 1, of the drawings, both curtains of the desk are closed and the desk is locked. To

open the desk for use, the curtain D is moved backward, the slats thereof moving in grooves G, (one at each end of the desk,) in the ordinary manner of opening a curtain desk for use, and the bar F, is thereby moved backward and downward behind the drawers a, a, underneath the table B. BarF,bein gattached as described to curtain E, by the sliding backward of curtain D, the curtain E, is drawn down from in front of the pigeon holes, drawers or other receptacles in casing G, such curtain E, also extending downward and backward of the drawers a, a. To close the desk, the curtain D, is drawn forward in the ordinary manner of closing a curtain desk, thereby drawing the bar F, upward and forward, such bar pushing curtain E back into its initial position, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

As will bereadily perceived by inspection of Fig. 5, in the modification there shown of this construction the curtain D can be moved backward, (bar F, thereof being thereby moved downward,) until the bar F, comes in contact with head I, on rod 1, before the curtain E, is moved, whereupon further movement of the curtain E will draw rod I down and, such rod being attached to curtain E, thereby draw curtain E, up, thus opening for use the pigeon holes in casing O. In closing the curtain D, in this construction, as curtain D is drawn forward, curtain E, is not moved thereby until bar F is raised in groove G', so that such bar comes in contact with nut 1 after which, further closing of curtain D will close curtain E.

Whether the grooves G, H, extending, respectively, downward and back of the drawers a, a, be used or the grooves G, H, (H', extending upward in casing C, and forward in the casing C, over the pigeon holes therein) is not material, except that in the practical making of desks it will be found more desirable to employ the room in back of the drawers a, a, for extending both curtains thereinto when the desk is open than to employ the room back of and over the pigeon holes in casing O, for either of such curtains, as the drawers a, a, rarely extend back sufficiently far to interfere with the curtains in the grooves G, H, and can, in any event, be readily made short enough to permit both curtains going back of them; while in the casing 0, it is very desirable to have as much depth as possible for the pigeon holes and drawers therein without making the casing so wide as to encroach on table B, or to require the widening of the desk to maintain the width of such table B.

The common bar F, or its equivalent, (as bar F, with rods I, I, having, respectively, head I and nut I ,thereon,) is employed to obtain movement of curtain E when curtain D is actuated and also to obviate the necessity for separate locks for the separate curtains. If the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4., curtain E, is not secured by fasteners f, f, or their equivalent, to bar F, but one, (the looking of both curtains by the locking of curtain D,) of the two named functions of the bar F, or its equivalent, will be obtained; and in the modification of this construction shown in Fig. 5, if head I of rod I, be omitted, the same thing occurs; that is, but one of the two functions of the connecting mechanism shown is obtained, and that is the locking of both the curtains by the locking of one thereof. In both of such cases, however, a working device consisting of two curtains, one, covering the table of the desk, and the other, the pigeon holes, each of such curtains being separately operative to open or close the part of the desk covered thereby with both of such curtains locked in the closed position by the locking of one thereof, will be obtained.

The casing O, can be made higher than illustrated in the drawings and of any height which does not require the curtain E to be wider or move a greaterdistance than the curtain D.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 5, a lock, J, may be secured to one of the curtains so that the bolt thereof shall engage with the other of the curtains, thereby locking the two curtains together and in a closed position. An ordinary lock may be employed and the particular form of lock used forms no part of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a desk, two curtains, one adapted to cover the table of the desk and the other adapted to close the pigeon holes and receptacles above and back of the desk table, with a bar at the back of the table curtain and connecting mechanism between such bar and the other curtain, whereby, when the curtain to which the bar is secured is locked the other curtain will also be locked; substantially as described.

2. In a desk, the combination of a curtain adapted to cover the table of the desk, 2. ourtain adapted to close the pigeon holes above and back of the table of the desk, 2. bar common to both curtains, and parallel grooves extending back of the receptacles underneath the table of the desk and between such table and the pigeon holes, in which, respectively, the respective curtains are maintained ;whereby when the curtains are moved from in front of the places covered thereby the faces of the curtains will be adjacent and so protected from injury; substantially as described.

JOHN F. WILMOT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES TURNER BRoWN, FLORA L. BROWN. 

